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After ages spent as Santa Fe's go-to Mediterranean restaurant in the Design Center building, Cleopatra spread to the Southside some years back, and both locations still boast some of the best dishes in town. Start with the creamy hummus ($5.50) served with warm pita, or an order of spanakopita ($6.95) with lettuce, tomato, feta and olives; or maybe some savory dolmas ($5.50) before making your way to items like the massive falafel sandwich ($6.95)—an enticing combination of flavors with falafel that's slightly chewy on the inside, satisfyingly crunchy on the outside. Mediterranean faithful will find plenty of other familiar dishes as well—like the lamb or chicken gyros ($7.95) and baba ghanauge ($5.50), but Cleopatra also does a popular burger ($9.95; add $.70 for cheese) and, if you didn't know, has great fries. It doesn't stop there, as you'll find larger, shareable dishes like the Nile and Pharaoh plates ($11.95 and $12.95), gyro meat with pita and salad and boneless marinated chicken with rice and veggies respectively, not to mention a kid's menu with familiar standbys like chicken nuggets and smaller Mediterranean items for kids out to try something different. There's a different atmosphere to each location, and it really just depends on what your day's going like.
Lunch and dinner daily
418 Cerrillos Road, 820-7381
3482 Zafarano Drive, 474-5644
cleopatrasantafe.com